Bed-pan.



A; T. WEBSTER.

BED PAN. APPLICATION FILED MAR. II, I915.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

A. T. WEBSTER.

BED PAN.

I APPLICATION FILED MAR. H. 1915- 1,21 8,023. A Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

*2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ARTHUR T. wnns'rnn' or PEORIA, rumors.

BED-PAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917;

AppIication filed March 11 1915, Serial No. 13,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. WEBSTER, citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed-Pans; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in bed pans. 7

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a bed pan equally convenient for both male and female.

Another object is to provide a bed pan. that by reason of its form'is adapted to af-' ford perfect comfort to a patient who by reason of any peculiar ailment requires the use of and must lie upon such a device for extended periods of time. I

Another object is to furnish in a device of this kind a bulb or enlarged receptacle, as an integral part, for receiving the contents of the pan so that said pan can be carried in an inverted position or partially inverted position for convenience, without spilling its contents.

Still another object is to provide a peculiarly constructed extension of the pan for accommodating the male urinary organ.

Another and extremely important object is to furnish a bed pan having a shield or hood erected upon or uprising from the pan which, by reason of its peculiar location and form, is peculiarly adapted for patients having weak or freely moving bowels, or patients to whom certain injections have been administered, a sudden flow or discharge of which often cannot be controlled so that the bed linen is soiled even with the greatest care in using the older form ofdevices.

Otherobjects and advantages besides the above will appear herein aided by the accompanying 1 drawings in which,

Figure 1 shows my invention in perspective.

Fig.2 is a plan of the same with one of the parts shown in Fig. I removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan of a removable top or seat portion.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the pan with the top or seat removed.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation I of the pan and a part of the top or seat portion.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the pan in one of its positions for use together with a supporting structure in a different position fromthat shown in Fig. 1 in which figure it is employed as a knee rest.

Fig.7 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the top or seat portion on line X X, Fig. 3. I

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional elevation of the pan on line Y Y, Fig. 4c, and

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of a shield or hood.

Bed pans for private and even for hospital use are not usually designed in such a way as to provide comfort for the patient nor in fact do they provide even the needed or desired conveniences. Agaimthey are not constructed in such a way as to make them safe. That is to say, as usually made they have no parts in the proper position to prevent the soiling of the bed linen where used in very severe cases.

It is my purpose, therefore, to construct a device of the nature described that will provide every convenience and safety for the.

male and female patient alike such as will be understood from the following specification in whichthe reference characters correspond with those of the drawings.

In the several figures A denotes the body of the pan which is preferably of a flat rectangular form open at its top as clearly shown in Fig. 4-. The pan is extended at one end and graduallynarrowed into a neck B terminating in afl at bulb-like receptacle C substantially the same thickness as the said neck and which extends upward considerably'above the" topof the pan. Said bulb is closed except for a communicating tubular extension D uprising from the closed wall of said bulb or receptacle, see Fig. 5, as well as its connection. with said body A through said neck B. This bulb is provided for receiving the contentsof the pan when the device takes the position shown. in Fig. It also, serves as the receivcrfor urine from the male organ through the described tubular extension D which in the figure last referred to is in the proper position and at the right height for that purpose, there preferably being a semi-tubular or spoon shaped projection D on the said extension to receive the organ upon it.

The said bulb or receptacle C is of particular advantage in that during the removal of the pan from the bed by grasping a handle E at its end opposite the bulb the pan in being raised at that end causesthe contents of the pan A to be delivered into the said bulb C through the communicating neck B. The pan may thus be safely carried in that position without fear of spilling the contents and the bulb can be made for any capacity or to accommodate any amount that might be held in the said pan A.

The end having the handle E referred to is preferably inclined downward at an angle toward the bulb end, as clearly shown at F in Fig. 5, so that with the weight of the patient upon it in use said end will more readily sink into the mattress under said weight so that the top or seat portion now to be described will readily conform to the position of the said patient.

The pan at its top adjacent to the neck B and bulb C is provided with an overhanging top portion G having at its middle a suitable clampingscrew H whose purpose will presently appear.

The top or seat portion is denoted by the reference letter J. It is a removable element and as shown in the first three figures of the drawing it is provided with an opening K of convenient size, for use by the patient either in a reclining or a sitting position. The edge of the top around said opening is curved downward and inward, see Figs. 1 and 7 so that there will be no angles or corners such as would make the device uncomfortable to the user. Further, as shown in Fig. 1, the top or seat is depressed at L L so as to conform as nearly as possible to the form of the iatient makin the device still.

more comfortable.

The end of said top or seat adjacent to the bulb is made to conform substantially to the outlines of the body A and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 it is provided with a notch M to receive the shank of the screw ll referred to, the extension having the notch passing beneath said screw and clamped firmly in position by it.

The opposite end of said top Carries a hinged hasp N which together with a book 0 thereon or by any other suitable means together with a keeper P on the pan serves to hold the top in position.

Mounted in an upright position on the top J is a hood whose form is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 7. It comprises a hollow shell-like portion Q; having an open side facing in the direction of the end of the pan opposite the bulb C. The edges of the metal of said hood are recurred and extend inward into the hollow of said hood, as shown in Figs. 3 and 9, said edges constituting an overhang R whose purpose will be explained presently. The lower portion of -latter being recessed within and beneath said hood as shown at T.

By thus slanting the portions Q. S as shown, liquids thrown against either one of the portions and meeting it an angle will be deflected toward the other finally descending into the receptacle. Thus no splashing will result as in other devices of which I am aware. Again, the forwardly and downwardly extending portion S that may receive the liquid in the first instance or that may receive it from the portion Q. directs the liquid to a position when it can fall into the receptacle. The purpose of said hood thus constructed is that it receives the liquid into it to obviate the splashing that would result if said liquid were directly discharged into the receptacle and not first roceived by said hood.

In Figs. .1 and 6 is illustrated a supporting framing which is detachably secured to the pan A in any suitable manner, for instance by means of wing nuts U.

Said framing serves two purposes. In Fig. 1 it answers as a knee rest, c. a support for the limbs of the patient, the hollow of the knees resting upon it, while in Fig. 6 the f aming is utilized for supporting the pan A in a vertical position in the bed for accommodating a male patient.

This frame may consist for example of a U-shaped portion V secured at its extremity to the sides of the pan by said wing nuts U, its yoke portion resting upon the neck of the pan adjacent to bulb C, there being preferably a member W secured to the said yoke portion to extend down at each side of the neck B to lend rigidity to the part.

2 is a second U-shaped member whose ex tremities are slotted and receive clampingscrews indicated at 3 which extend through the member V described.

This member 2 is held in any desired position relative to the member V by means of bracing members 4: which at one of their ends are pivoted to the member V and through. slots 5 are made adjustable on the member 2 by means of clamping screws indi cated at 6. The member 2 at the yoke portion above the pan is preferably provided with a pair of members 7 adjustable in the direction of one another along said yoke portion and held by any suitable means such as clamping screws indicated at 8.

The patient in occupying a reclining position places the limbs over the members T which support them at the hollow of the knees as already stated whereby a restful position can be maintained, the said members 7 being provided if desired with a padding or r by wrapping a towel or cloth about them to still further provide comfort, and the adjustment of the parts to different positions provide for restfulness or comfort as well.

In thus holding the limbs raised the patient is enabled to lie close up against the shield or hood so that discharges, particularly those following injections, will be kept entirely within the said shield or hood so that no loss can occur outside that member to soil the bed or its linen. The contour of the said member is such at its open side as to fit that part of the anatomy that is to be placed against it. The fit thus afforded in sures that none of the losses mentioned can result.

I The hood is provided at the top of the overhanging parts R with a notch 9 to admit a rubber tube such as may be used in administering injections. The tube in lying within the notch is thus not likely to he squeezed or pinched by the body of the patient which might otherwise lie against it, and the cavity within the hood is such that the attendant can readily place the hand therein in making the proper adjustment of the discharge end of the tube, the recess T in the top J also admitting the hand to the pan in performing the operation. 7

In Fig. 6 the position of the pan may be maintained for indefinite periods for the accommodation of a male patient by means of the framing V, 2, 4 described, by the adjust ment of said framing to the position shown which with the bulb portion C holds the device in a firm safe manner.

' Theelevated position of the tubular portion D as shown and as already described is of particular advantage to a male patient from the fact that the bulb or receptacle C can be placed between his limbs and therefore does not require that the patient turn upon his side as is usual with some of the older types of devices, and the extension D permits the organ to be laid upon it-so that it is not necessary for said organ to be introduced into the tubular portion.

The top J is made removable from the pan so that all the parts can be readily and thoroughly cleansed.

It is observed that the bulb G is comparatively thin so that in a reclining position of the patient the limbs may lie at each side of said bulb and can occupy a perfectly straight position substantially parallel to one another so that no discomfort need be experienced; this being a choice from the position in which the limbs are supported by the frame already described. 7

The device may be changed slightly in clifferent ways without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention since it is not my wish to be confined to the exact structure shown.

The recurved portions R of the shield or Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the nature described including in its constructlon a pan term1nat ing at one end in an enlargement extending perpendicularly to its plane and provided at its extremity remote from the pan with a communicating hollow extension having a concave extension at its end.

2. A device of the nature described comprising a pan terminating at one end in an enlargement extending perpendicularly to its plane adapted to receive the contents of the pan, and provided at its extremity remote from the latter with a tubular extension, the latter having a concave extension at its free end.

3. A device of the nature described including a broad flat pan having a communieating narrow neck at one end terminating in an enlargement extending perpendicularly to the plane of the pan and having a communicating tubular extension at its extremity farthest from said pan, said enlargement being otherwise closed and adapted to receive the contents of said pan.

4. A device of the nature described com prising a broad flat receptacle open at one of its broadest sides and contracted at one end into a narrow passage terminating in a communicatingvessel extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the receptacle, and a tubular extension connected into one of the walls of the vessel and communicating'with that portion of said vessel lying most remotefrom the described passage, the axis of the opening through the wall for said extension being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said passage, said opening being nearest the wall of said vessel that lies nearest the receptacle.

5. A' device of the nature described comprising a broad fiat receptacle open at one of its broadest sides and contracted at one end into a narrow passage terminating in a communicating vessel extending in a direce tion perpendicular to the plane of the receptacle, and a tubular extension connected into one of the walls of the vessel and communicating with that portion of said vessel lying most remote from the described passage, the axis of the opening through the wall for said extension being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said passage, said opening being nearest the wall of said vessel that lies nearest the receptacle, the

extremity of the tubular extension being open for a portion of its length at its side facing the receptacle.

6. A device of the nature described comprising a broad flat receptacle open at one of its broadest sides and contracted at one end into a narrow passage terminating in a communicating vessel extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the receptacle, the open side of the receptacle being closed at said passage, a tubular extention connected into one of the walls of the vessel and communicating with'that portion of said vessel lying most remote from the described passage, said opening through the wall for said extension being nearest the wall of said vessel that lies nearest the re ceptacle, and a detachable seat portion overlying the open side of the receptacle, and upon the closed portion of said receptacle at said passage.

7. In a device of the character described, a receptacle including a top or seat portion provided. with an opening, a member erected upon said top or seat adjacent said opening and having a cavity communicating with said opening, said member being open at its side facing the opening, the wall of said member opposite its open side being rearwardly and downwardly inclined at an an-. gie away from the open side and thence extending in an opposite direction downward and forward and terminating in an edge overhanging the opening in the said top or seat portion.

8. In a device of the class described, a receptacle including a top or seat portion having an opening therein, a member erected upon said top near one edge of the opemng comprising a wall of a concave form includginal recess in said member.

9. The combination with a bed pan adapted for two different positions, of a frame for the same adjustable to two different positions thereon and adapted to support the pan in. one of its positions, and adapted in the other position of the pan to support the limbs of the patient.

10. The combination with a bed pan having a vertical extension at one end in the form of a vessel, the same including a tubular extension, a frame attached to the pan to support the limbs of the patient in one ot the positions of said pan, said frame being adjustable upon said pan to a position whereby to support the pan in an upright position with the said vessel in its lowermost position.

In testimony whereof I aHix my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR T. lVEBSTER. Witnesses W. I, SLnMMoNs, L. M. THURLOW.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

